UFC 89 Breakdown: The Undercard

Hardy vs. Gono

Oct 15, 2008

With the world’s most prominent mixed martial arts promotion set to
cross the pond yet again, it’s time to take a closer look at all
the undercard goodness slated for UFC 89 this Saturday at the
National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England.

Dust off your Black Sabbath albums, lace up the Doc Martens and get
extra cockney for this latest round of fight prognostications.
Blame any inaccurate picks on instability in the space-time
continuum.

The stakes: One of the UFC’s latest
acquisitions from England, “The Outlaw” remains best known for his
unexpected run in the Cage Force welterweight tournament, which
ended in December with an unfortunate disqualification loss to
Yoshiyuki
Yoshida in the final.

Now in the UFC after a string of impressive wins on his home turf,
Hardy has the unique opportunity to entrench himself in the Las
Vegas-based promotion, as it continues to establish its presence in
the UK.

The breakdown: For someone with only
three years worth of actual cross training, Hardy has blossomed
into a well-rounded fighter with a sweet red Mohawk to boot.
Against Gono, his best bet is to use his reach and strikes to force
the Pride Fighting Championships veteran to choose between getting
picked apart from the outside or closing the distance.

Should Gono choose the latter, Hardy will need to either stay in
the clinch or secure top position, where his underrated
ground-and-pound can neutralize Gono’s submission game. Regardless,
Hardy’s success hinges on using his strikes to shut down Gono’s
offense. All bets are off if Gono’s army of penguins storms the
cage; those things are vicious.

The stakes: Back in the UFC after close
to a year-long injury-induced layoff, Gono wants to prove the
pundits right by turning his transition to welterweight into
success worthy of his notoriously over-the-top entrances.

Making the move to welterweight brings with it a whole new set of
challenges, however, as the division is packed tighter than a
sardine can. Beating Hardy on his home turf would certainly go a
long way towards his excelling at 170 pounds. Otherwise, Gono risks
becoming one of many forgotten men in the division.

The breakdown: A wonderfully unorthodox
fighter, Gono revels in his quirks. Steering clear of Hardy’s
simian reach will be vital for Gono if he hopes to show off his
trademark zebra print shorts in the Octagon again.

With that in mind, Gono’s best bet is to crowd Hardy from the
opening bell and get him on his back at all costs; that’s where the
Brit’s lack of experience makes itself most obvious. Considering
Gono’s arsenal of unconventional ground tactics, he could easily
recreate his UFC 78 submission win against Tamdan McCrory.

***

The bottom line: Hardy would be an
easier pick if Gono wasn’t a solid clinch fighter. Unfortunately
for Hardy, Gono has a way with Judo throws, and Hardy is far too
prone to landing on his back. Should Gono gain top position,
Hardy’s lacking jiu-jitsu skills will become apparent in the face
of his opponent’s unorthodox but effective work on the mat.

Expect this to be one of the evening’s more hotly contested bouts,
and the outcome will likely hinge on how well Gono’s cocksure
defense holds up against Hardy’s considerable reach. Watch for
Hardy’s lacking ground game to cost him a razor-thin decision.